Foothill-De Anza (FHDA) Community College District student housing is now accepting applications for its apartments near De Anza College amidst a controversial decision in removing current residents.
The board of trustees voted unanimously at the Sept. 8 Community College District Board of Trustees meeting to implement the relocation plan of McClellan Terrace Apartments residents with Gannett Fleming Technologies (GFT), an infrastructure consulting firm that assists companies with property services. The board hired GFT for an 18-month contract in May to meet with residents one-on-one, form a comparable housing list and conduct an assessment of resident needs. The residents will receive advisory assistance from the firm with their specific accommodations, relocation benefits based on state relocation law and guidelines and the district’s rules that will provide moving expenses and rental assistance for tenants and last resort rental housing rental assistance if the firm can’t locate a nearby property, according to the relocation program document.
The apartment residents also aired their complaints that evening, feeling excluded from important decisions regarding their apartment resident status and the company involved in their relocation process. More than 79 households, comprising multi-generational families and K-12 students, are expected to move before a June 30, 2026, deadline.
According to FHDA’s purchase and sale agreement, the district purchased the apartment complex, which went into escrow on March 11, for $66.7 million and the expected renovation costs are $28.2 million for its new student housing. The sale was finalized in July, allowing GFT to start its outreach mail and email to residents on the relocation plan.
Ellen Kamei, the FHDA director of government affairs and public information officer, said to the Town Crier in an email that the residents will have 90 days to vacate the property before their deadline date. She said it will not be a formal eviction – it won’t show up in their rental record since it is not an eviction with cause. However, if they stay past June 30, an eviction would be filed.
She said all the households will have a financial benefit based on the cost of a similar unit in the current market. The costs would then be subtracted by the lower of 30% of gross household income or their current rent and at the end multiplied by 42 months. She also said each household will work with a specialist who would help them with applications and paperwork, housing tours and transportation, viewings and connections to moving and storage vendors.
“Each household will be assigned a relocation specialist to guide them through the entire process, Kamei said. “Specialists will be available in person, by phone or by email – depending on the household’s preference – to ensure residents receive personalized, hands-on support.”
She said at the last board meeting, the board also approved LPAS Architects, a Bay Area-based architectural team that works with higher education and apartment developers, to be hired for their design and construction. She said the design process is expected to last six months and the regular review with the city of Cupertino will last nine months. The construction phase won’t begin until fall 2026.
“Several students are expected to move into McClellan Terrace Apartments this fall, a limited number of units are already in good condition,” Kamei said. “The broader complex will undergo a comprehensive renovation to modernize facilities and improve accessibility, including new units for residents with mobility, auditory and visual impairments.”
McClellan residents’ next steps
Devendar Mallireddy, a McClellan Terrace resident for 14 years, said his parents and his son, who attends Monta Vista High School, live in one household and have relied on the surrounding community for their livelihood. He said his 83-year-old father has become accustomed to walking to nearby parks for health reasons. He said there is no other apartment that has so many amenities within a five-mile radius.
“In February, they announced that the FHDA is trying to buy this apartment and they closed the deal at the end of July,” Mallireddy said. “There are 94 families with more than around 34 kids who go to Monta Vista High School, and 63 kids who go to Kennedy Lincoln and Ferry Elementary that live in this particular apartment. After they hired GFT, they are unilaterally making decisions without us.”
Mallireddy said that the residents were not involved with hiring GFT to help them with relocation and had ignored their rights to be involved in the process of
picking them. He said he is hoping the college district will find a fair solution in meeting the residents’ needs. Mallireddy, alongside other residents, sent the board an appeal on Aug. 22 to have GFT provide technical assistance on the plan, but they were met with denial. He also wrote another appeal to the board’s denial, stating the impact it could have on minorities, the elderly, large families and persons with disabilities.
He believes the board needs to re-examine the California Code of Regulations to ensure all the residents’ requests are met before going forward with their project.
Robert Swenson, a lawyer based out of Minneapolis who represents displaced tenants, homeowners and businesses across the country, said residents from the apartments reached out to review their relocation plan in early August to ensure their relocation rights were upheld. He said a group of 18 residents have been in contact with him and their biggest issue is not having enough time to review the documents.
“The residents filed appeals pursuant to the appeal procedures identified in the plan itself,” he said. “We were ignored by the board and the board argued that the appeals fell outside the business that was at hand and to approve the plan that day. So already, the college isn’t really fulfilling its obligations according to the plan that they just approved. I know why they’re rushing it. It’s a scheduling issue. What motivates the board is timing in the schedule, not necessarily compassion for the residents.”
He said the board is trying to get people out as soon as October so they can begin their renovations. He said the residents do not believe they are getting the “maximum amount of relocation benefits,” and there are no properties in the surrounding areas that are compatible with their needs.
“At the recent board meeting, the board did not seem interested in listening to any further comments and all the comments that have been submitted are now part of the final approved plan,” Swenson said. “I would venture to say the board members probably will never even look at those comments. This ends their due diligence in implementing this relocation plan. From Monday on, they have the statutory right to move forward with their project.”
He said the residents also want FHDA to know they have the right to form a committee, but the district has taken their public meeting space away. However, he said that the district is trying its best to find a new space.
To learn more about the new FHDA housing site, visit fhdastudenthousing.com.
